So let's go ahead and get started, and if you would, turn with me to Colossians 1. Colossians 1. Colossians 1, and I'm gonna begin in verse 8. Verse 8 of Colossians 1, Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood even the forgiveness of sin. I'm interested in here where it says the forgiveness of sin. We hear a lot today about people forgiving one another, forgiving people. Paul and I watch some of these crime shows and where someone's done some unthinkable act against another. And you hear some of those involved that has something done to them and they say, I forgive them. But then you'll hear them say something like this, I forgive them, but I cannot forget what they did. And I'm not saying you should not forgive them or they should not forgive them, I'm not saying that. My point is that we all too often, especially as the people of God, do not forget what a brother or sister has done. I'm glad God's forgiveness is not like ours. We say we forgive one another, but what someone else has done is right there in the front of our minds. I know those folks, and probably us, say they forgive, but they certainly would not commune or fellowship with those they have forgiven in those cases. And I'm not saying it would be wise in some of those cases. But God's forgiveness is not like that. We know God knows all things. We also know God does as he pleases. He does as he wills. He is sovereign over all things. So if he does something, it's because he wants to do it. God's not forced in anything, like Joe was saying. He cannot be demanded to do anything. What do we read of God's choice to his people, though? Listen to it. Jeremiah 31, 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. For they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Amen. Do you see that? God, the sovereign of everything, says he will remember their sin no more. So do you think that he's going to remember them? No, he's not. He cannot lie. His forgiveness has with it a forgetting of their iniquity, their sin, and that for his people. He communes and fellowships with his people. What does he tell us? where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them, he says. So I want to talk about today forgiveness as it relates to man and the forgiveness of God. So forgiveness as it relates to man. We are told in scripture to forgive one another when it's talking to God's people. Christ tells Peter, he says in Matthew 18, 21 and 22, Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how off shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saying to him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 times seven. I know Peter knows something about forgiveness because Jesus Christ taught him of forgiveness, didn't he? He denied him three times and was told he would do it. Yet he still did it. But Jesus Christ had prayed for him that his faith fell not, and it did not. Even in his despicable acts of denying the Lord. But those unregenerate, and even us at one time, knew nothing of forgiveness. We really did not know, and this world does not know what true forgiveness is. In fact, in this flesh, I can certainly see other men's sins. The problem is, I can't see my own sin. Even today, I can see everybody else's, but I can't even see my own sin. Because I cannot see the one to whom the sin is against, especially in my unregenerate state. What did David cry out? And this was certainly speaking about that time that he was with Bathsheba and also the time where he had Uriah, I think it was, killed. What did he say? Psalm 51, four. Against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest. When we sin and we can sin against someone else, But when we do sin, that sin is against God himself. But by nature, man really cannot see this. By nature, man does not think he needs forgiveness. This flesh can think or deceive. It can deceive themselves, ourselves, or others around us that they are coming to Jesus Christ. but they know nothing of David's cry against thee and thee only have I seen. They in some way think they are doing God a favor by giving their heart to Jesus as they say. God is sovereign, he is over all. Everything is his, he created all things by himself and he holds them all together. What's man going to do for God? What is man going to give God for payment of his sin? We've heard it before. The question is not what I can do for God, but will he do anything for me? Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2, and I'm going to read the first 11 verses. A little bit lengthy, but... 2 Corinthians 2. But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I came I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many, so that contrarywise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ. Lest Satan should get an advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." Satan's devices. I'm talking to God's people. Satan's device is to put something between God's people. Satan's devices cause division among God's people. It is Satan's device, and that's what we just read, to not forgive one another goes right along with a device of Satan. Do we do wrong? Of course we do. Is there time for rebuke? Of course there is, for all of us. Should we forgive one another? Of course we should. Jesus Christ forgave us. To not forgive one another is to fall into one of Satan's devices. Our problem is, just like someone once said of repentance, we need to repent of our repentance. But we also need forgiveness for our forgiveness. We often do not forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we harbor it. We keep it right close to us, watching to see if they're gonna do it again the next time. God working us to will and do of his good pleasure. He does not work in us half forgiveness or a false forgiveness. If this forgiveness comes from God, we will forgive our brethren. But oftentimes we want to bring up another's offenses. Have you ever been in an argument with someone and you find yourself saying something like this? Remember what you did? Knowing full well you said you forgave them of that before. I have, maybe you haven't, but I have, I've done that. I just don't let people live it down as the saying goes. I can very easily remember someone else's sin, but it seems my sins I can pass right over. Or maybe I don't even think I have sin. God's people know better. We know there are sins that we don't even know exist. And I don't want you to misunderstand me. There are times, as I have said, that rebuke is necessary. And I'm not saying we should never rebuke or to say something. In fact, if we are offended, we ought to say something. We'll see that a little bit later. We are to behave ourselves as becometh the gospel is what it says. And if we don't, we need to be rebuked for it. Forgiveness is part of the gospel. We just read it in our text. One thing is for sure about rebuke though. 1 Corinthians 10, 12 it says, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. And we also know this from Titus 3, 9 through 11. But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and striving about the law, for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself. If a man or a woman will not hear the word of God, if they persist in not behaving themselves as becometh the gospel, then you are to reject them, it says. But we are to be long-suffering to one another. Why? Because we need to. We all need forgiveness. We all do the wrong thing in and of ourselves. We do the wrong thing all the time. If God does not give us this long suffering to one another, we will consume one another. And I'm talking about forgiveness. But we all need forgiveness and thank God for his forgiveness. Colossians 1.14, that's the verse that really stuck out in my mind. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. And a little bit about this word forgive. In other places where it talks about us forgiving one another, that word means like this. And I'm gonna give a few words here that's given in the Greek word. Joe, as you're saying, you have to look up sometimes these words, differences. But the meaning when it talks about us forgiving one another, it means forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, or let be, let go, That's all we can do. We have this flesh and we cannot forget. All we can do is just lay it aside, lay it aside. We have to ask God, God, please help me to forgive my brother. Help me to let it go. It's like we're saying, I'm putting it over here and I'm not gonna look at it again. It's gone, it's over here. But you know, the forgiveness of God is not like that. The word for forgiveness used in our text means this, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. You know what that word means? Pardon. Pardon. Being forgiven of sin by God does what for those that he does this for? It makes them free. The sin is totally forgiven and forgotten. They are pardoned for it. Forever. And there is a good reason for this. Because in order to forgive those of their transgressions against Him, we see it right here in our passage, in verse 14, in whom we have redemption through His blood. To have true forgiveness of sin, sin that no one can lay to our charge, and even us, we can't lay it to our charge. We often ourselves as believers are ashamed and downtrodden a lot of times for our own sin. Knowing we have sinned against him, we should be ashamed for them that we have done wrong. But God bethinked he is not going to lay it to our charge. He has said he will remember them no more. Oh, for that time when he brings me to where he is so that I will remember my sin no more, just as he does not remember my sin. That time that I will lay this flesh down and I will no longer have sin with me. I have it with me now, but God does not see it if I am in Christ. Because it took something to have this kind of forgiveness. It took the blood of God to have this kind of forgiveness. We read in Hebrews 9.22, and almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. That word for remission there is the same word we read in Colossians 1. Pardon. The forgiveness of God comes by Jesus Christ dying on that tree. And that he's already done, it's complete. God does not remember our sin. He said he doesn't. So it doesn't matter if someone else sees our sin, it doesn't matter if we see our sin. God does not, and God is the one that matters. But do not take God's forgiveness for granted. Some people do, and they do not have true forgiveness. They use the word of God deceitfully to their own damnation. And I do not speak of this lightly. I sin all the time. I sin knowing that I sin sometimes. But God does grant repentance. But then there are some who take God's forgiveness for granted and it's just their heart to do that. The heart they have just takes God for granted all the time. They do not love God, and they are looking for a loophole, always. Jesus Christ told the woman caught in adultery, the one whom he said in John 8, 10, and 11, he said, when Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, no man, Lord. They are not there. But then he said this. She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. She was guilty. She was caught in the act. And that passage leaves no doubt about that. She was guilty and she knew she was guilty. But Christ said, neither do I condemn thee. But he did not stop there. He told her. Go and sin no more. If you think that God's forgiveness gives you the right to just live to this flesh, then you know nothing of forgiveness, the forgiveness of God. Then you in turn do not know of forgiving your brethren. So we must be careful. We must watch. Look to Christ who did forgive us of our sin, and he has not condemned us. And in seeing him, and His forgiveness to us, then we can look to our brethren and forgive them. We can lay their sin aside and move forward. God's forgiveness is not just sweeping sin under the rug. God had to pay for our sins so that we might have pardon from our sin. And you can count on this. If Jesus Christ died for you and in doing so wrought for you the forgiveness of sin, then you are forgiven. It ought to be a joy for us to be long-suffering with one another and to forgive one another. Paul prays for that in our text and about those at Colossae. Read 9 verses 9 through 11 again. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. It ought to be what we pray for as well. We are told, Isaiah 51, 1, hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look into the rock which ye are hewn and to the hole of the pit which ye are digging. We are first to look to that rock once we are hewn. If we don't see that rock, we're not gonna see anything else. God did the hewning, and we were digged from a pit. We are to remember the pits which we were digged, not play around in it. It took the rock to dig us out of that pit. He forgave us, but forgiveness for us was not free to him. It's free to us, but it took God coming down to take our sin in his own body on that tree. He wrought our forgiveness of sin by himself, taking those sins far away. He says he remembers them no more. Even if we bring them to mind every day, and I often do, often do. If God has done this for us, we ought to forgive one another. And let's be honest, most of the time we are offended by a brother or sister because they haven't done something the way I would do it. But even if they do do me wrong, we are to forgive one another. There's something wrong with us if we cannot forgive. And I read the beginning of this passage earlier, but turn with me over to Matthew 18. Let's read the rest of it. Matthew 18. Matthew 18, verse 22. Matthew 18, verse 22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants which owed him a hundred pence, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down on his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord, all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thy wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? and his lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses. The king, if you are one of his servants, has forgiven all the debt. You read here that the man said, be patient, and I will repay all that I owe. He could not pay the debt. That was the whole point. And the king did not expect to be paid. He forgave the debt, knowing the man could not pay. The king just totally forgave the debt. He did not have to pay anything back to him. But then he turned right around and sought payment that he was owed from his fellow servant. He punished him for not paying him back. So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. He pardoned us by his blood all those sins that we've committed against the king of glory that caused him to be put to death on that tree. Yet I find myself at times trying to hold things against my brother. Oh God, forgive me of that sin. Cause me to see your forgiveness that cost you dearly. But it paid the debt of sin I owe. So that I'm pardoned and I'm set free of that debt. Never to have to see it again. Never have to have it laid to my charge. If God allows us to see that, if he puts it in us, we will see the way to forgive our brethren and it will be joyful for us to do so. His work causing us to be partakers, Joe, it's his work that we're partakers of that divine nature that Joe talked about. That as we share, we participate in this inheritance. We are illuminated because he took us from one place to another is what it says in our text. We were under the power of darkness as we are born in Adam, but he transferred us, exchanged us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Right now, not later on, right now. Those to whom he has done this for are in the kingdom of his dear son. Oh, that I might dwell there, because the king has forgiven me by his blood. Help me to forgive my brother, knowing that my Lord has forgiven me, and he remembers my sin no more. Amen. Dear old God, thank you for allowing us to be here, be with us as we go about, dear Lord, and cause us to just calls us to see you, dear Lord. You've forgiven us all of our debt. That sin that we see daily, dear Lord, we know. Help us to see and to just lay it aside, even of our brothers, dear Lord. All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.